Fire resistant aluminum door frame assembly

Abstract

A fire resistant aluminum door frame assembly is provided which comprises a partition wall having a door opening therethrough; a header assembly; opposing jamb assemblies; a strike assembly disposed along one jamb assembly; at least one hinge assembly disposed along the opposite jamb assembly; and a door member supported within said door opening by said hinge assembly and having a lockset engaging said strike assembly; whereby upon exposure to extreme heat, the door frame assembly accommodates expansion of the header and jamb assemblies without buckling, and said strike and hinge assemblies respectively maintain said door support and lockset engagement of the door member, wherein said door frame assembly attains a fire rating.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A fire resistant aluminum door frame assembly comprising; a partition wall having a door opening therethrough with stud means adjacent opposing vertical sides of the opening;   a header assembly having expansion cavity means at opposite upper portions of the door opening, a channel-shaped aluminum header member extending between the cavity means and screw attached to said partition wall along the upper horizontal side of the door opening, aluminum snap-engageable trim members concealing said screw attachment, said trim members having upper and lower snap-engageable legs engaging upper and lower snap-engageable portions of said header member, the lower snap-engageable portion terminating short of opposite ends of the header member, said header member including doorstop means projecting downward from, and extending for substantially the full width of, the header member;   opposing jamb assemblies disposed along opposing sides of said door opening and extending downwardly from said header assembly below the expansion cavity means said jamb assembly having channel-shaped aluminum jamb members screw attached to said partition wall,aluminum snap-engageable trim members concealing said screw attachment, said trim members having snap-engageable legs engaging snap-engageable portions of said jamb members, said jamb members including doorstop means projecting outward from, and extending for substantially the full height of, the jamb members, and, an engageable longitudinal slot, adjacent said doorstop, having a mortising trim strip engaged therein;   a strike assembly disposed along one jamb assembly at said engageable slot for accommodation of lockset means of a door member, said strike assembly having an exterior aluminum strike plate members with an opening therethrough permitting entrance of a bolt from a lockset, and further having an interior steel angle member separately screw attached to said jamb member, said steel angle providing retentative engagement for a bolt from a lockset;   at least one hinge assembly disposed along the opposite jamb assembly at said engageable slot, said hinge assembly having an exterior steel hinge plate screw attached to an interior steel back-up plate, the steel back-up plate being separetely screw attached to said jamb member and,   a door member supported within said door opening by said hinge assembly and having a lockset engaging said strike assembly; whereby upon exposure to extreme heat, the door frame assembly accommodates expansion of the header and jamb assembly without buckling, and said strike and hinge assemblies respectively maintain said door support and lockset engagement of the door member, wherein said door frame assembly attains a fire rating.     
     
     
       2. A fire resistant aluminum door frame assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the lower snap-engageable portion of the header member terminates a distance short of the opposite ends of the header member in the range of from greater than 0" to about 12". 
     
     
       3. A fire resistant aluminum door frame assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein a gypsum header block is disposed within the channel-shaped header member and extends for substantially the full width of the header member. 
     
     
       4. A fire resistant aluminum door frame assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the header member of the header assembly includes two intermediate vertical legs within the channel-shape which extends for substantially the full width of the header member. 
     
     
       5. A fire resistant aluminum door frame assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the header assembly trim members and jamb assembly trim members meet at opposite upper corners of the door opening in a mitered relationship. 
     
     
       6. A fire resistant aluminum door frame assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the partition wall comprises two parallel spaced apart rows of gypsum board with the stud means being steel channel-shaped members positioned adjacent the door opening with webs of the channel-shapes disposed generally perpendicular to the rows of gypsum board. 
     
     
       7. A fire resistant aluminum door frame assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the doorstop means of the header assembly and jamb assembly are provided with a groove opening toward the door member and wherein said groove includes a fire resistant nylon pile mute therein abutting said door member along peripheral edges thereof. 
     
     
       8. A fire resistant aluminum door frame assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the jamb member of the jamb assembly and the header member of the header assembly comprise extruded aluminum. 
     
     
       9. A fire resistant aluminum door frame assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the steel angle member of the strike assembly is screw attached to the stud means of said partition wall. 
     
     
       10. A fire resistant aluminum door frame assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the steel back-up plate of the hinge assembly is screw attached to the stud means of the partition wall. 
     
     
       11. A fire resistant aluminum door frame assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the strike plate member resides in longitudinal relationship with said mortising trim strip, said mortising trim strip extending above and below in generally co-planar vertical relationship. 
     
     
       12. A fire resistant aluminum door frame assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the steel hinge plate member resides in longitudinal relationship with said mortising trim strip, said mortising trim strip extending above and below in generally co-planar vertical relationship. 
     
     
       13. A fire resistant aluminum door frame assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the doorstop member of the header member is notched-out back from the ends of the header member a distance substantially the same as the distance the doorstop means of the jamb member projects outwardly from the jamb member and bevelled inwardly of the adjacent jamb member at an angle of from about 0° to about 10°. 
     
     
       14. A fire resistant aluminum door frame assembly for use in partition wall construction having a door opening therethrough with stud means adjacent opposing vertical sides of the opening, said assembly comprising: a header assembly having expansion cavity means at opposite upper portions of the door opening, a channel-shaped aluminum header member extending between the cavity means and screw attached to said partition wall along the upper horizontal side of the door opening, aluminum snap-engageable trim members concealing said screw attachment, said trim members having upper and lower snap-engageable legs engaging upper and lower snap-engageable portions of said header member, the lower snap engageable portion terminating short of opposite ends of the header member, said header member including doorstop means projecting downward from, and extending for substantially the full width of, the header member;   opposing jamb assemblies disposed along opposing sides of said door opening and extending downwardly from said header assembly below the expansion cavity means said jamb assembly having channel-shaped aluminum jamb members screw attached to said partition wall, aluminum snap-engageable trim members concealing said screw attachment, said trim members having snap-engageable legs engaging snap-engageable portions of said jamb members, said jamb members including doorstop means projecting outward from, and extending for substantially the full height of, the jamb members, and, an engageable longitudinal slot, adjacent said doorstop, having a mortising trim strip engaged therein;   a strike assembly disposed along one jamb assembly at said engageable slot for accomodation of lockset means of a door member, said strike assembly having an exterior aluminum strike plate member with an opening therethrough permitting entrance of a bolt from a lockset, and further having an interior steel angle member separately screw attached to said jamb member, said steel angle providing retentive engagement for a bolt from a lockset;   at least one hinge assembly disposed along the opposite jamb assembly at said engageable slot, said hinge assembly having an exterior steel hinge plate screw attached to an interior steel back-up plate, the steel back-up plate being separately screw attached to said jamb member and,   a door member supported within said door opening by said hinge assembly and having a lockset engaging said strike assembly; whereby upon exposure to extreme heat, the door frame assembly accommodates expansion of the header and jamb assembly without buckling, and said strike and hinge assemblies respectively maintain said door support and lockset engagement of the door member, wherein said door frame assembly attains a fire rating.     
     
     
       15. A fire resistant aluminum door frame assembly as claimed in claim 14 wherein the lower snap-engageable portion of the header member terminates a distance short of the opposite ends of the header member in the range of from greater than 0" to about 12". 
     
     
       16. A fire resistant aluminum door frame assembly as claimed in claim 14 wherein a gypsum header block is disposed within the channel-shaped header member and extends for substantially the full width of the header member. 
     
     
       17. A fire resistant aluminum door frame assembly as claimed in claim 14 wherein the header member of the header assembly includes two intermediate vertical legs within the channel-shape which extends for substantially the full width of the header member. 
     
     
       18. A fire resistant aluminum door frame assembly as claimed in claim 14 wherein the header assembly trim members and jamb assembly trim members meet at opposite upper corners of the door opening in a mitered relationship. 
     
     
       19. A fire resistant aluminum door frame assembly as claimed in claim 14 wherein the doorstop means of the header assembly and jamb assembly are provided with a groove opening toward the door member and wherein said groove includes a fire resistant nylon pile mute therein abutting said door member along peripheral edges thereof. 
     
     
       20. A fire resistant aluminum door frame assembly as claimed in claim 14 wherein the jamb member of the jamb assembly and the header member of the header assembly comprise extruded aluminum. 
     
     
       21. A fire resistant aluminum door frame assembly as claimed in claim 14 wherein the strike plate member resides in longitudinal relationship with said mortising trim strip, said mortising trim strip extending above and below in generally co-planar vertical relationship. 
     
     
       22. A fire resistant aluminum door frame assembly as claimed in claim 14 wherein the steel hinge plate member resides in longitudinal relationship with said mortising trim strip, said mortising trim strip extending above and below in generally co-planar vertical relationship. 
     
     
       23. A fire resistant aluminum door frame assembly as claimed in claim 14 wherein the doorstop member of the header member is notched-out back from the ends of the header member a distance substantially the same as the jamb member projects outwardly from the jamb member and bevelled inwardly of the adjacent jamb member at an angle of from about 0° to about 10°.